Peter Sedgwick & Bob Looker

Be careful with nicknames

(8 May 1969)

From Socialist Worker, 8 May 1969. (letter)
Transcribed by Ted Crawford.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.

In the May Day issue, Martin Shaw, reporting from LSE, writes of ‘marxist’ (Martin Shaw’s quotes) ‘Ralph Miliband (known to the students as Moribund).’

May we inform you that a number of socialist students have also been given curious nicknames by their counterparts on the teaching staff? However in the midst of a common struggle, we would regard it as sectarian to follow comrade Shaw’s example by providing details: in most cases, anyway, it would be libellous.

It is interesting that your writer feels it necessary to question Ralph Miliband’s standing as a marxist. We can only say that, on the evidence of past statistics, if 1 per of today’s militant students make as serious a contribution to marxist exposition and analysis as Ralph Miliband has, we shall be very lucky indeed.

If as many as 3 per cent stick to socialism after they graduate for as long as he has done, then we shall know the revolution is on its way.